


You Can’t Always Rely On Genetics

by Visionsofdazzlingrooms



Series: Blue Bloods: Episode Fix [22]
Category: blue bloods
Genre: 7x11, Danny and Linda, Episode Tag, F/M, Father-Son talk, Genetics, Linda’s pissed, and that’s the last we see of her, episode fix, episode: s07 e11 genetics, lindanny, no real resolution to the problem, upset over the lack of lindanny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Visionsofdazzlingrooms/pseuds/Visionsofdazzlingrooms
Summary: How is no one seeing her side to all of this? Did her husband really want their son to end up like him, or worse?
Relationships: Danny Reagan/ Linda Reagan
Series: Blue Bloods: Episode Fix [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983686
Comments: 11
Kudos: 1





	You Can’t Always Rely On Genetics

**Author's Note:**

> I somehow just saw this episode for the first time ever??? I guess I accidentally skipped it before...
> 
> Why didn’t we get one more scene with Danny and Linda? Henry and Danny were kinda asses to Linda in this episode... the more I rewatch Blue Bloods, the more I see how mistreated Linda was/is. And even though I’m upset about Amy leaving, I can see why she did. 
> 
> And also, Blue Bloods fans, how have you not done an expansion for this episode?
> 
> Anyways, enough with the rant. On to the story!

"No, I didn't encourage him, but I didn't discourage him either." Danny explains as he tossed his robe into the wardrobe. 

"So that makes you what? Switzerland?" Linda snarks, getting frustrated. How could Danny not see it from her point of view?

"No."

"Are you really gonna pretend to be neutral about your own son joining the military?"

"I'm just trying to get him to look at it from both sides. That's different."

"How?"

"Because it's his choice. Don't you get it? This is his choice. It's not about you and me. It's not about making you afraid and making me proud."

"He's our son. He's not even eighteen!" She shucks off her robe. 

"Well, he's gonna be eighteen soon enough. He's gonna have to make real-life choices that he's gonna have to live with for the rest of his life, just like you did and I did."

Linda gets into bed beside Danny, but remains seated. "Hasn't this family given enough?"

"Well, I don't know, Linda. How does one know when their family's given enough?" He tosses the book he had chosen to read back onto the nightstand. He isn't going to get reading done tonight. 

"Five cops, four ex-military... from one family! I call that enough."

"And I call it a legacy." 

"Danny...."

"I'm just saying."

"Please." Linda's voice cracks as she shakes her head, willing herself not to cry. She screws her mouth, trying to think of a way to get Danny to understand. 

Danny frowns, "hey... come here."

Linda kicks herself up towards the pillows, leans into his side, sighing when he puts his arms around her. 

"It's Jack's Choice-"

She wiggles out of his embrace and turns to switch the beside lamp off. She doesn't say anything as she gets situated under the covers, her back towards him. 

"Linda, we're not through talking about this."

"Yes we are. You just don't like what I have to say."

*********

"The kid wants to go into the Marines, to serve his country." Danny tries to argue for Jack again. "He wants to do more for his country than give the Salvation Army a buck or two at Christmas time!"

"And if he does that? If he goes into the marines, or any branch of the military, what will he come back with? If he even comes back? He'll come back with trauma, severe post traumatic stress."

"Not everyone comes back broken, Linda."

"And I suppose he'll be the exception to the dark, suicidal thoughts! Need I remind you that you almost ate your gun?!" Linda hisses at her husband, still upset he hadn't taken a real side to the whole problem. 

"What do you want me to do? Tell him no?"

"Yes!"

"I can't do that."

She sighs, "how many people do you know that have come back from combat psychologically unscathed? Hm? How many, Danny?"

Danny thinks for a while, long enough to apparently prove Linda's point. 

"Exactly!"

"There are guys on the force from the military that aren't scathed."

"And how would you know that? They wouldn't take their baggage to work- just like you didn't. And don't! You leave it at home in a box, where you don't have to think about it until one day something reminds you of your tours, and your thinkin' suicide."

"You can't compare me to him. It was different back then. And it's like Gramps says-"

"Oh don't you dare bring in that argument!" Linda twirls around, a hand on her hip. 

"How is it different from your philosophy? 'If not me, than who?' It's the exact same thing!"

"There are.... a thousand different ways for Jack to serve the country!"

"Oh yeah? Name one."

"That's your retaliation? ‘Oh yeah’?"

"I'm waiting, Linda."

"The Peace Corps. Government jobs like... those people who help immigrants gain citizenship. Or- or a mechanic, building planes and tanks and- and trucks for the army, and helicopters for the Marines. A doctor or a nurse, or- or... even a cop!" She puts a finger up, interrupting her rant. "Though I'm against that too. Need I give you more examples?"

"But what if he doesn't want to do those things?"

"Danny, we're talking about a kid- a good, straight kid- skipping school to get drunk! He made that decision knowing how we'd react! Are we really supposed to expect him to be responsible enough to chose to walk right to his death?!" She turns away from him, pretending to be busy with something on the counter. 

“Why are you so against him enlisting?”

Linda sighs, “October 8, 1999. December 17, 1999. Do those dates mean anything to you, Danny?”

“No,” Danny furrows his brow, shakes his head. 

She turns to him, “October 8, 1999, at 11:39 I get a call from you in- in hysterics. Begging me to come home. I come home, and what do I find? You about to kill yourself because you don’t say a way out of the pain. December 17, 1999, a week before Christmas, I go upstairs to change and what do I find when I come back down? You, not breathing on the kitchen floor! You were...” she looks away from him, licks a lip as to not to cry. She stares at him straight in the eye. “You were dead, Danny! You died, and I had to revive you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if....”

Danny feels guilty when she starts to cry. “Don’t cry, Linda. You know how I hate it when you cry.”

“Jack’s gonna end up just like you... or worse! And you don’t- you don’t even give a flying f***! He’s our son, Danny, our first born! And he’s- he’s not even...” Linda’s voice is breaking as she desperately tries to get Danny see her point. “Do you know- do you have any idea how much you scared me in that? How many times I woke up in the night just to check you were breathing? Or in the morning, when you slept in, I came up periodically to check if you hadn’t done yourself in! Do you know how terrible it is to watch the love of your life just give up and you can’t do anything about it?!” 

He takes the few steps to her, filling the space between them. He pulls her into a hug as her cries turn into sobs, sways her gently, and kisses her temple. 

"I'll talk to him again," Danny says sincerely, and not just to get her to quit making a case. 

"Thank you."

**********

"So which college do you want to go to?" Danny asks Jack after he says he's going to chose college.

"Where did you go?" He looks over from the driver's seat. "You didn't go. Where did Mom go?"

"City University of New York College of Staten Island."

"Isn't that, like, super hard to get into?"

"Yes."

"So how did Mom get in?"

"Your Mom's a genius. Graduated top of her class, with honors, and no debt."

"How'd she do that?"

"Trust funds, and she knew how to do banking at the age of sixteen."

"How come?"

"She was probably the only one in history to pay attention to home economics."

"Home economics?" Jack questions, making his Dad feel old. 

Danny forgets that kids don't have to endure the torture of home ec any more. "Home economics was a course that used to be offered for students how wanted to learn how to keep house and home."

"Sounds like a chick class."

"Do you know how pissed your mother would be to hear you say that?"

"Yeah yeah.... she really didn't want me to join, huh?"

"No."

"Why?" 

He sighs, trying to tell him the reasons without giving to much away. "Mom has seen first hand what war does to someone." 

Jack looks over quickly, giving his Dad a questioning look. "She's never been in combat."

"No.... but she's seen how war changes someone, how it completely destroys someone.... she doesn't want that tragedy happening to you."

Jack nods, wanting to ask who his Dad is specifically talking about, but has the feeling he shouldn't pry. 

"You have a lot of options, Jack. You're a bright kid. Don't throw away all your potential."

**********

"Are you busy?" Jack asks Linda as she makes dinner that night. 

"What's wrong, Jack?" She sounds tired like she hasn't slept well for the last few days. 

"I thought it over, and... I'm going to go to college."

Linda stops stirring the beef stroganoff, and looks at her son. "Really?"

"Yes. I can do something cool, like join the FBI."

"The FBI?!" Danny's digits filled voice comes from the other room. 

Linda chuckles, "It's good that you chose college. And, Jack, if you want to serve the country, there are many ways to go about that that don't include combat."

"Maybe you could tell me about some during dinner?"

"Sure... now go help your brother set the table."

Jack smiles and turns to get the forks from the cupboard. When he's in the eating area, Danny walks up to Linda and hugs her from behind. 

"Sorry if I was kind of an ass during all this. And that I scared you during... that time.”

"It's okay, Danny." She turns her head to kiss his stubble filled cheek. “I was only scared cause I loved you so much. Still do.”

He smiles, kisses her cheek. "I was just glad the kid had decided to do something with initiative for once."

Linda laughs out loud at that. "I'm glad you got his head on straight. Get plates for me?"

During dinner, Jack and Sean learned about all the different ways to serve their country, the United States of America, without going into combat.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna say thank you to ancilla89 who encouraged me to improve this. I hope I did


End file.
